Washington (CNN) - All kinds of ideas are flying around Capitol Hill about how to extend the payroll tax cut set to expire at the end of the year, but a longstanding battle over tax increases and divisions among congressional Republicans have prevented any from gaining traction so far.

Once again, a clock is ticking. Failure to pass a measure maintaining the lower tax rate assessed on workers would mean a larger tax burden for Americans next year - $1,000 on a family earning $50,000.

Editor's note: Gloria Borger is CNN's chief political analyst, appearing regularly on shows such as "AC360˚" "The Situation Room," "John King USA" and "State of the Union."

(CNN) - No doubt about it, the Republican presidential candidates are reaching a critical point: It's less than one month before the Iowa caucuses. A majority of GOP voters - and Iowa caucus-goers - say they could still change their minds. The president has thrown down the gauntlet on tax cuts for the middle class, and the GOP needs to speak with one voice in response. It's decision time, and there are real questions that need to be answered with clarity.

Washington (CNN) – Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is hoping to mine his frontrunner status to help fill his cash-strapped campaign coffers with a major fundraiser Wednesday night in Washington.

Organizers of the event include former congressmen Robert Walker and Bob Livingston as well as several other Washington supporters. Livingston tells CNN several current members of Congress are expected to attend the event as well as backers not just from the Washington area but from other parts of the country.FULL POST

Washington (CNN) – Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney reaffirmed his commitment to Israel as America's partner in the Middle East while accusing President Barack Obama of hindering peace in the region, during his speech Wednesday before the Republican Jewish Coalition.

The former Massachusetts governor took the president to task for criticizing Israel, not saying enough about the thousands of Hamas rockets fired into the country and his support for Israel to adopt "indefensible borders."FULL POST

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) - In case you haven't heard, President Obama wants the wealthiest to pay more in taxes.

Noting the rise in income inequality in recent years and the need to reform the U.S. tax system, the president on Tuesday said that some of the wealthiest in America pay far less in federal taxes as a percentage of their income than many lower down the income scale.

CNN: Obama channels Roosevelt's 'New Nationalism'
More than a century after Teddy Roosevelt's famous "New Nationalism" address, President Barack Obama sounded similar themes Tuesday in the same town in the Republican heartland of Kansas, delivering a populist speech that called for extending the payroll tax cut set to expire at the end of the year.